No. 3 BU Edges No. 5 Michigan
By Scott Weighart, Senior Writer
BOSTON – It was a classic marquee matchup.
After trailing No.3 Boston University by a two-goal margin going into the third period, No. 5 Michigan stormed back to tie the game with 5:30 remaining, and they threatened to score more.
Suddenly, though, Wolverine goalie Bryan Hogan misplayed a puck behind the net, and Terrier Joe Pereira pounced on the puck for a wraparound and the decisive goal with just 2:31 remaining. Despite getting outshot 21-4 in the third period, BU emerged with a stirring 3-2 win in front of an Alumni Weekend crowd of 6,221 at Agganis Arena.
Despite giving up one bad goal, Kieran Millan played a great game in the Terrier net with 33 saves. Chris Summers led the way for Michigan with two assists. All in all, it was a gratifying first win for Terrier coach Jack Parker and his players—particularly after inconsistent showings during the first two games of the season.
“Overall I thought we played a pretty solid game in a whole bunch of different areas, but I thought that the best thing we did was we competed from the opening faceoff to the end of the game,” Parker said. “Even when we were exhausted, we were still competing real hard. We were really back on our heels in the third period—you can see that on the shot chart—and a lot of that has to do with the penalties we took. We were self-destructing with penalties, but the game was won and lost with special teams. We did a great job killing penalties.”
The latter was especially impressive considering that BU played without Luke Popko—its best forward in terms of killing two-man advantages—and then lost its best overall forward in Nick Bonino, who dislocated his shoulder in the first period. The good and bad news is that it was the first time Bonino has suffered a dislocation. Players who have no previous history of the injury have a much lower probability of a recurrence, but they also tend to have a longer recovery time. The best case has Bonino missing about three weeks, but it could be more like a month.
Meanwhile, Michigan coach Red Berenson reflected on some positives and negatives as well. “I thought it was a good game,” Berenson said. “From our standpoint, the early penalties hurt us. It’s hard to get any momentum when you’re killing penalties.
“The third period I thought our team started to compete harder and turn the wheel. College hockey is a game of momentum, and we started to get momentum. We finally got a break around the net. I like the way we were playing—just a bad goal on our goalie to decide the game.”
There were few scoring chances early in the game. The most noteworthy development was Bonino’s injury at 14:39, when he hit down hard when checked while going into the Wolverine zone. Even before he left the ice, it was obvious that he had suffered a shoulder separation—which would have been worse—or a dislocation.
On a power play, the Terriers took the lead at 16:13. Foreshadowing the clinching goal, this one was also the result of a mishandled puck behind the net by the Michigan netminder. “He played the one puck off the glass, which a goalie should never play,” Berenson said. “If the puck’s coming around the board you might play it, but not the glass. He played the first one off the glass, it took a bad bounce, and bang, it’s in our net.”
Zach Cohen scored the goal—his first of the season. “Corey Trivino was able to find the puck, and I found an open spot right in front the net,” Cohen said. “He got it out to me, and I didn’t know it was in the net at first.”
The second period featured great skating and action-packed play. BU had a great chance at 2:23 when Vinny Saponari shot, followed by Ryan Santana shooting the rebound off the post. That rebound sat in the crease, and David Warsofsky raced in and took a whack at it. Hogan stopped it—but did the puck cross the line before he did? A video review ensued after the next whistle, but the footage was too inconclusive to overrule the no-goal call on the ice.
Millan made perhaps his best save of the night at 4:20 of the period, when he was hung out to dry on a two-on-one rush. Left wing David Wohlberg was left to go mano a mano with the sophomore, and Millan stoned him.
BU made it 2-0 at 12:59 during the waning seconds of a power play. Chris Connolly got the puck along the left-wing boards and fed it to Colby Cohen at the center of the point. Unmarked, the defenseman drifted in with the puck and had ample time to set up his slapshot, which beat Hogan high glove side.
The third period was all Michigan for the first 16 minutes or so. Eric Gryba got called for a five-minute major after crunching Wohlberg into the boards at 2:15, but Michigan gave up the advantage when Chris Brown received the same call 59 seconds later. Still, Michigan gained momentum and piled up the shots. Millan looked fabulous until he surrendered a soft goal at 10:04. “It was a little mistake on my part,” Millan said. “I anticipated a rebound, and it ended up getting stuck underneath my pad. While I was rotating to make the next save, it popped up and went toward the net.” The goalie pounded his stick on the ice in frustration.
Michigan tied it up less than four minutes later, when Luke Glendening set up Matt Rust, who raced in and beat Millan with a high backhander at 14:30. Less than two minutes after that, sensing his team was exhausted and out of position, Parker called a time to give his team a breather as well as a chance to regroup.
That set the stage for Pereira’s heroics. “It was actually the end of our shift,” Pereira said. “Ryan Santana had the puck, and he saw me shooting down. He dumped it in the far corner, and the goalie went out to play the puck. I jumped, and the puck was right there. Once I got control of the puck, I knew that if I took it to the net as fast as I could it would be a good chance. I just stuffed it hard.”
“The ice is not as good as the game nears the end,” Berenson said. [Hogan’s] anticipating that the puck will move better than it did, and his decision was not good, and his execution was not good. It was a bad goal, and that’s too bad because he had a good game.”
BU (1-2-0) resumes Hockey East play with a home-and-home showdown with UMass-Lowell next weekend, while Michigan (2-2-0) travels to Lake Superior State for a pair of CCHA games.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Canadian Content
Chicago's Sahir Gill acclimates and prepares for life (and hockey) in the U.S.
Paul Shaheen - Amateur Hockey Report Senior Writer
ROI - 'The stars of tomorrow..play here today.'
October 10, 2009
It's a crisp and cool Saturday in Chicago. And though it's early morning, a 'midnight magician' is busy at work.
No, he's not pulling rabbits out of his hat, rather, he's doing something far more pedestrian for a young man of 17: He's preparing to sit for his SAT.
Sahir Gill (Terrace, BC), Chicago's electrifying rookie left wing who came to the Steel via the 2009 Royal Bank Cup champion Vernon Vipers where as a rookie last season he scored 26 goals and 56 points in 71 games, is by every indication someone who knows where he's going and exactly how he's going to get there.
Even when some things come by surprise.
Last year, the 5-10, 180 pound Gill barely made it to the BCHL. Having been cut the previous summer by the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, he made the Vipers solely on the strength of a strong training camp. Yet early on, he wasn't playing very much, or very well for that matter, until Vernon coach (and former NHLer) Mark Ferner put Gill on a line with brother act (and 2010 Quinnipiac recruits) Conner and Kellen Jones, who worked magic all their own by amassing some 151 points as the BCHL's most potent offensive line.
Not only did Vernon win the RBC, they did so in grand style, winning its last 11 post season games (Snakes with Sting--AHR May 19, 2009).
So what with Gill heading into his senior year of high school, and a chance to skate alongside the Jones brothers for yet another season, a return to Vernon seemed more or less in the cards.
Ah, but magicians never tip their hand.
Instead, having been heavily scrutinized by the Steel (who had a scout keeping an eye him all season long and who later drafted him during the 2009 USHL Entry Draft), Gill took an about face and opted to come to the USHL.
"I didn't plan on coming here at all," said the well spoken Gill, whose highlight goal from last year was a triple OT winner in game four of the BCHL championship series versus Powell River. "But I came here for camp, spoke to some people who were familiar with Chicago, and it seemed like a very good spot."
That was part of the reason he came to Chicago, but there's more.
"Here in the USHL there is lots of exposure," Gill added. I had a great spot in Vernon, but I may have felt a little too comfortable, I wanted to play (US) college hockey, so I decided to come here and get accustomed to the States."
The WHL's Vancouver Giants drafted Gill, but then traded his rights to Kamloops, which went after him heavily last spring, but has since backed off.
Gill's family, which now lives in Penticton, BC, is of Sikh Indian descent. His first name, Sahir (sa-HERE) translates most closely into 'midnight magician.' When watching Gill perform, it's obvious there's plenty in his bag of tricks.
"He is very skilled, and everybody likes him," says Steel head coach (and one-time NHL defenseman), Steve Poapst. "He competes, and that's what you want, because by doing that he will be successful."
Through three regular season games, Gill has picked up two goals and seven points, matching that of fellow top Steel scorer Andrei Kuchin, an import himself (born in 1991) from Russia.
Gill has all the tools. The only challenge now is to adapt them to a higher level of play.
"The USHL is faster paced, and a much younger league," says Gill, who is finishing his academic requirements via online correspondence with his high school back home. "Last year I was pretty young, we had nearly six kids 20 years old. There was a different feel, a lot of bigger bodies. Here, it's quicker, you can't underestimate anyone. In the BCHL, each team usually had some lines you could take advantage of, but not here. I'll be looked upon to produce more this year," added Gill, "but also play well defensively. I'm getting some penalty kill time, which I'm hoping will benefit me."
Poapst has little doubt everything will come together for Gill, as if it hasn't started to already. "He's going through the adjustments like anyone his age," said Poapst, after his team turned back Waterloo by a 6-3 score on Friday night. "This league's a little quicker, and a bit grittier. He just needs to be quicker and crisper."
Gill's parents are Bob and Kanwal. Gill's mother has a cousin in Chicago which has made it a bit easier for her to come to town and spend time watching her son. There's also an older brother, six years Sahir's elder, whom is finishing his university studies back in BC.
Having narrowed his collegiate choices to North Dakota, Minnesota, Boston University and Northeastern, Gill plans on making his 'fly downs' later in the month of October and perhaps have a decision by the end of the calendar year.
"This way," said Gill, "I can get that out of the way and focus on the year."
That's a magician for you--leaving the audience in suspense, yet always fully prepared.
Paul Shaheen - Amateur Hockey Report Senior Writer
ROI - 'The stars of tomorrow..play here today.'
October 10, 2009
It's a crisp and cool Saturday in Chicago. And though it's early morning, a 'midnight magician' is busy at work.
No, he's not pulling rabbits out of his hat, rather, he's doing something far more pedestrian for a young man of 17: He's preparing to sit for his SAT.
Sahir Gill (Terrace, BC), Chicago's electrifying rookie left wing who came to the Steel via the 2009 Royal Bank Cup champion Vernon Vipers where as a rookie last season he scored 26 goals and 56 points in 71 games, is by every indication someone who knows where he's going and exactly how he's going to get there.
Even when some things come by surprise.
Last year, the 5-10, 180 pound Gill barely made it to the BCHL. Having been cut the previous summer by the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, he made the Vipers solely on the strength of a strong training camp. Yet early on, he wasn't playing very much, or very well for that matter, until Vernon coach (and former NHLer) Mark Ferner put Gill on a line with brother act (and 2010 Quinnipiac recruits) Conner and Kellen Jones, who worked magic all their own by amassing some 151 points as the BCHL's most potent offensive line.
Not only did Vernon win the RBC, they did so in grand style, winning its last 11 post season games (Snakes with Sting--AHR May 19, 2009).
So what with Gill heading into his senior year of high school, and a chance to skate alongside the Jones brothers for yet another season, a return to Vernon seemed more or less in the cards.
Ah, but magicians never tip their hand.
Instead, having been heavily scrutinized by the Steel (who had a scout keeping an eye him all season long and who later drafted him during the 2009 USHL Entry Draft), Gill took an about face and opted to come to the USHL.
"I didn't plan on coming here at all," said the well spoken Gill, whose highlight goal from last year was a triple OT winner in game four of the BCHL championship series versus Powell River. "But I came here for camp, spoke to some people who were familiar with Chicago, and it seemed like a very good spot."
That was part of the reason he came to Chicago, but there's more.
"Here in the USHL there is lots of exposure," Gill added. I had a great spot in Vernon, but I may have felt a little too comfortable, I wanted to play (US) college hockey, so I decided to come here and get accustomed to the States."
The WHL's Vancouver Giants drafted Gill, but then traded his rights to Kamloops, which went after him heavily last spring, but has since backed off.
Gill's family, which now lives in Penticton, BC, is of Sikh Indian descent. His first name, Sahir (sa-HERE) translates most closely into 'midnight magician.' When watching Gill perform, it's obvious there's plenty in his bag of tricks.
"He is very skilled, and everybody likes him," says Steel head coach (and one-time NHL defenseman), Steve Poapst. "He competes, and that's what you want, because by doing that he will be successful."
Through three regular season games, Gill has picked up two goals and seven points, matching that of fellow top Steel scorer Andrei Kuchin, an import himself (born in 1991) from Russia.
Gill has all the tools. The only challenge now is to adapt them to a higher level of play.
"The USHL is faster paced, and a much younger league," says Gill, who is finishing his academic requirements via online correspondence with his high school back home. "Last year I was pretty young, we had nearly six kids 20 years old. There was a different feel, a lot of bigger bodies. Here, it's quicker, you can't underestimate anyone. In the BCHL, each team usually had some lines you could take advantage of, but not here. I'll be looked upon to produce more this year," added Gill, "but also play well defensively. I'm getting some penalty kill time, which I'm hoping will benefit me."
Poapst has little doubt everything will come together for Gill, as if it hasn't started to already. "He's going through the adjustments like anyone his age," said Poapst, after his team turned back Waterloo by a 6-3 score on Friday night. "This league's a little quicker, and a bit grittier. He just needs to be quicker and crisper."
Gill's parents are Bob and Kanwal. Gill's mother has a cousin in Chicago which has made it a bit easier for her to come to town and spend time watching her son. There's also an older brother, six years Sahir's elder, whom is finishing his university studies back in BC.
Having narrowed his collegiate choices to North Dakota, Minnesota, Boston University and Northeastern, Gill plans on making his 'fly downs' later in the month of October and perhaps have a decision by the end of the calendar year.
"This way," said Gill, "I can get that out of the way and focus on the year."
That's a magician for you--leaving the audience in suspense, yet always fully prepared.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
2009-10 Game Highlights
Oct. 10 - Banner-Raising Ceremony
Oct. 10 - BU 3-NTDP U18 Team 2 (exhibition)
Oct. 20 - Notre Dame 3 BU 0
Oct. 24 - BU 3 Michigan 2
Oct. 31 - Lowell 3 BU 1
Nov. 14 - BU 6 Merrimack 4
Nov. 22- BU 3 UNH 3
Dec. 4 - BU 3 Vermont 3
Dec. 5 - BC 4 BU 1
Jan. 2 - BU 7 UMass 3
Jan.8 - BU 3 BC 2
Jan. 16 - BU 6 Merrimack 4
Jan. 22 -BU 5 BC 4 OT
Jan. 23 - UNH 4 BU 1
Jan. 29 - BU 6 UMass 2
Feb. 1 - BU 2 Northeastern 1 (Beanpot)
Feb. 8 - BC 4 BU 3 (Beanpot)
Feb. 12 - BU 7 Maine 4
Feb. 13 - BU 5 Maine 2
Feb. 20 - BU 2 Providence 1
Feb. 26 - Vermont 7-BU 3
Feb. 27 - Vermont 3-BU 2
Mar. 5 - BU 5 Northeastern 4
Mar. 12- BU 3 Merrimack 2 (HE Quarterfinals)
Mar. 13- Merrimack 3-BU 2 OT (HE Quartefinals)
Mar. 14- BU 3-Merrimack 0 (HE Quarterfinals)
Oct. 10 - BU 3-NTDP U18 Team 2 (exhibition)
Oct. 20 - Notre Dame 3 BU 0
Oct. 24 - BU 3 Michigan 2
Oct. 31 - Lowell 3 BU 1
Nov. 14 - BU 6 Merrimack 4
Nov. 22- BU 3 UNH 3
Dec. 4 - BU 3 Vermont 3
Dec. 5 - BC 4 BU 1
Jan. 2 - BU 7 UMass 3
Jan.8 - BU 3 BC 2
Jan. 16 - BU 6 Merrimack 4
Jan. 22 -BU 5 BC 4 OT
Jan. 23 - UNH 4 BU 1
Jan. 29 - BU 6 UMass 2
Feb. 1 - BU 2 Northeastern 1 (Beanpot)
Feb. 8 - BC 4 BU 3 (Beanpot)
Feb. 12 - BU 7 Maine 4
Feb. 13 - BU 5 Maine 2
Feb. 20 - BU 2 Providence 1
Feb. 26 - Vermont 7-BU 3
Feb. 27 - Vermont 3-BU 2
Mar. 5 - BU 5 Northeastern 4
Mar. 12- BU 3 Merrimack 2 (HE Quarterfinals)
Mar. 13- Merrimack 3-BU 2 OT (HE Quartefinals)
Mar. 14- BU 3-Merrimack 0 (HE Quarterfinals)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
2009-2010 TV & All Access Schedule
2009-10 TV Schedule
Oct. 20 vs. Notre Dame (ESPNU)
Nov. 21 vs. New Hampshire (NESN)
Dec. 11 vs. Rensselaer (NESN)
Jan. 2 vs. Massachusetts (ESPNU)
Jan. 8 vs. Boston College - Frozen Fenway (NESN)
Jan. 15 at Providence (NESN)
Jan. 22 at Boston College (NESN)
Jan. 23 vs. New Hampshire (NESN)
Feb. 1 vs. Northeastern - Beanpot (NESN)
Feb. 8 Beanpot Championship Game (NESN)
Feb. 12 vs. Maine (NESN)
Feb. 26 at Vermont (NESN)
Feb. 28 at Vermont (ESPNU)
2009-10 BU All-Access Schedule
Subscribe to All-Access
Oct. 10 vs. U.S. Under-18 Team
Oct. 20 vs. Notre Dame
Oct. 24 vs. Michigan
Oct. 31 vs. UMass Lowell
Nov. 14 vs. Merrimack
Dec. 4 vs. Vermont
Dec. 5 vs. Boston College
Jan. 2 vs. Massachusetts
Jan. 16 vs. Merrimack
Jan. 29 vs. Massachusetts
Feb. 13 vs. Maine
Feb. 20 vs. Providence
Mar. 5 vs. Northeastern
Oct. 20 vs. Notre Dame (ESPNU)
Nov. 21 vs. New Hampshire (NESN)
Dec. 11 vs. Rensselaer (NESN)
Jan. 2 vs. Massachusetts (ESPNU)
Jan. 8 vs. Boston College - Frozen Fenway (NESN)
Jan. 15 at Providence (NESN)
Jan. 22 at Boston College (NESN)
Jan. 23 vs. New Hampshire (NESN)
Feb. 1 vs. Northeastern - Beanpot (NESN)
Feb. 8 Beanpot Championship Game (NESN)
Feb. 12 vs. Maine (NESN)
Feb. 26 at Vermont (NESN)
Feb. 28 at Vermont (ESPNU)
2009-10 BU All-Access Schedule
Subscribe to All-Access
Oct. 10 vs. U.S. Under-18 Team
Oct. 20 vs. Notre Dame
Oct. 24 vs. Michigan
Oct. 31 vs. UMass Lowell
Nov. 14 vs. Merrimack
Dec. 4 vs. Vermont
Dec. 5 vs. Boston College
Jan. 2 vs. Massachusetts
Jan. 16 vs. Merrimack
Jan. 29 vs. Massachusetts
Feb. 13 vs. Maine
Feb. 20 vs. Providence
Mar. 5 vs. Northeastern
THFB Q&A: Chris Connolly
Duluth native Chris Connolly scored the first goal in last year’s pre-season exhibition game and then added 30 points to become the top scoring freshman. Besides holding down the left-wing spot on BU’s all-rookie line, he filled in on the Terriers’ top line when Colin Wilson was at the World Junior Championships and when Chris Higgins was injured. Coach Jack Parker expects Chris to be on one of BU’s top two lines this season. He recently answered questions from THFB contributors:
Q—Chris, you’re not the first Terrier from Minnesota. John Curry, Ryan Priem and Justin Maiser are a few of those who preceded you here. So what brought you to BU?
A—I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and had only experienced the Midwest (Omaha and Fargo), so I wanted something completely different for my college experience. I came on my visit out to Boston already knowing how accomplished both the coaching staff and program itself were, but I also fell in love with the city.
Q—Your younger brother Jack was also a freshman last year at Minnesota-Duluth in your hometown. Did you have any interest in joining him with the Bulldogs?
A—Yes I did. It was a very difficult decision for me to turn down my home town University, especially having the chance to be a freshmen with my younger brother; but at the same time, I had also been on my own for a few years playing juniors so leaving home wasn’t an issue for me. The opportunity to play for such an historic program was too good to pass by.
Q—You became a fan favorite last year due to your non-stop motor on the ice, as well as your contributions at both ends of the ice. Has that always been your style of play?
A—Not exactly. I have always loved the offensive side of the game, but as I moved up levels from high school to juniors and juniors to college, I began to realize how important defense was. I wanted to get as much ice time as possible and have come to realize that you can earn just as much, if not more, defensively as you can offensively.
Q—Last year’s freshmen class had several players who, when the year began, were better known to BU fans—Trivino, Warsofsky, Saponari—because they were NHL draft choices. That allowed you to fly a bit under the radar in terms of expectation. But this year, expectations for you will be high. How to you plan to raise the level of your game?
A—Last year all I wanted to do was contribute as much as I could and play in as many games as possible. Every year you want to get better, and to do that, you can’t take anything for granted. Just because you played a lot last year doesn’t necessarily mean you will this year. I just try and work as hard as possible every day.
Q—You played both wing and center last season. Which do you prefer?
A—I played center throughout most of my junior career, but now that I am playing more wing, I like it a little better. I don’t dislike center by any means though.
Q—Your penalty-shot goal against BC’s John Muse had to be one of your highlights last season. Muse described your move saying “he came straight down the ice and he kind of slowed down.” Is that how you planned it? Had you been involved in shootouts while with Omaha in the USHL and used that move before?
A—I had a couple of different ideas running through my head, along with, “Oh my God!” and “Don’t mess up!” but I had used that in Omaha before and it was the move I was most comfortable with at the time.
Q—We have heard a lot about the final seconds of the championship game when Colby Cohen’s deflected shot sailed over the goalie’s shoulder, but less about how the play started. Walk us through your role in it.
A—I believe the play slowed down in our end and Colby came up the ice with the puck; he made a pass to Trivino through the middle and he deflected it into the corner. Trivino had a full head of steam and was able to forecheck the defenseman and chip the puck up the wall to me. I didn’t even have to pick my head up because I heard Shatty yelling for the puck. Shatty made an unbelievable play to Colby, and after that, I just remember standing off to the side of the net watching Colby’s shot float into the net. It was indescribable.
Q—Your line hadn’t seen much—if any—ice time during the overtime. How hard was it to just watch after playing a regular shift all game and also killing all those penalties?
A—Of course we wanted to get out there, but at the same time, we understood that at such a crucial time in the biggest game of our lives, coach was more comfortable with the upper classmen. All you can do is stay as focused as possible because you could be called upon at any moment.
Q—Coach Parker has already said that you will probably be promoted to one of the top two lines this season. How do you see your role on the team this year compared to last year?
A—We lost a lot of talented forwards, so I hope to work hard and fill some of the open roles left by those seniors. I enjoyed my role last year, now I hope I can contribute even more.
Q—In 2008 you led the Omaha Lancers to the Clark Cup title and followed that with an NCAA championship? While only a second-year player, do you feel you can help teach the freshmen what it takes to be a winner and what Jack Parker defines as “a BU hockey player”?
A—In the past two seasons I have played for two incredible coaches, Mike Hastings (Omaha) and Coach Parke. The thing they have in common is that they both demand a good work ethic. One of my favorite quotes is “hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.” That statement sums it up for me; I’m not a big talker in the locker room, but I like to set the best example as possible by working hard.
Q—Chris, you’re not the first Terrier from Minnesota. John Curry, Ryan Priem and Justin Maiser are a few of those who preceded you here. So what brought you to BU?
A—I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and had only experienced the Midwest (Omaha and Fargo), so I wanted something completely different for my college experience. I came on my visit out to Boston already knowing how accomplished both the coaching staff and program itself were, but I also fell in love with the city.
Q—Your younger brother Jack was also a freshman last year at Minnesota-Duluth in your hometown. Did you have any interest in joining him with the Bulldogs?
A—Yes I did. It was a very difficult decision for me to turn down my home town University, especially having the chance to be a freshmen with my younger brother; but at the same time, I had also been on my own for a few years playing juniors so leaving home wasn’t an issue for me. The opportunity to play for such an historic program was too good to pass by.
Q—You became a fan favorite last year due to your non-stop motor on the ice, as well as your contributions at both ends of the ice. Has that always been your style of play?
A—Not exactly. I have always loved the offensive side of the game, but as I moved up levels from high school to juniors and juniors to college, I began to realize how important defense was. I wanted to get as much ice time as possible and have come to realize that you can earn just as much, if not more, defensively as you can offensively.
Q—Last year’s freshmen class had several players who, when the year began, were better known to BU fans—Trivino, Warsofsky, Saponari—because they were NHL draft choices. That allowed you to fly a bit under the radar in terms of expectation. But this year, expectations for you will be high. How to you plan to raise the level of your game?
A—Last year all I wanted to do was contribute as much as I could and play in as many games as possible. Every year you want to get better, and to do that, you can’t take anything for granted. Just because you played a lot last year doesn’t necessarily mean you will this year. I just try and work as hard as possible every day.
Q—You played both wing and center last season. Which do you prefer?
A—I played center throughout most of my junior career, but now that I am playing more wing, I like it a little better. I don’t dislike center by any means though.
Q—Your penalty-shot goal against BC’s John Muse had to be one of your highlights last season. Muse described your move saying “he came straight down the ice and he kind of slowed down.” Is that how you planned it? Had you been involved in shootouts while with Omaha in the USHL and used that move before?
A—I had a couple of different ideas running through my head, along with, “Oh my God!” and “Don’t mess up!” but I had used that in Omaha before and it was the move I was most comfortable with at the time.
Q—We have heard a lot about the final seconds of the championship game when Colby Cohen’s deflected shot sailed over the goalie’s shoulder, but less about how the play started. Walk us through your role in it.
A—I believe the play slowed down in our end and Colby came up the ice with the puck; he made a pass to Trivino through the middle and he deflected it into the corner. Trivino had a full head of steam and was able to forecheck the defenseman and chip the puck up the wall to me. I didn’t even have to pick my head up because I heard Shatty yelling for the puck. Shatty made an unbelievable play to Colby, and after that, I just remember standing off to the side of the net watching Colby’s shot float into the net. It was indescribable.
Q—Your line hadn’t seen much—if any—ice time during the overtime. How hard was it to just watch after playing a regular shift all game and also killing all those penalties?
A—Of course we wanted to get out there, but at the same time, we understood that at such a crucial time in the biggest game of our lives, coach was more comfortable with the upper classmen. All you can do is stay as focused as possible because you could be called upon at any moment.
Q—Coach Parker has already said that you will probably be promoted to one of the top two lines this season. How do you see your role on the team this year compared to last year?
A—We lost a lot of talented forwards, so I hope to work hard and fill some of the open roles left by those seniors. I enjoyed my role last year, now I hope I can contribute even more.
Q—In 2008 you led the Omaha Lancers to the Clark Cup title and followed that with an NCAA championship? While only a second-year player, do you feel you can help teach the freshmen what it takes to be a winner and what Jack Parker defines as “a BU hockey player”?
A—In the past two seasons I have played for two incredible coaches, Mike Hastings (Omaha) and Coach Parke. The thing they have in common is that they both demand a good work ethic. One of my favorite quotes is “hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.” That statement sums it up for me; I’m not a big talker in the locker room, but I like to set the best example as possible by working hard.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"Burn The Boats" excerpt
Copyright 2009 by Scott Weighart – All rights reserved
MAD MEN
While BU’s inability to adapt to Vermont’s neutral-zone trap frustrated Parker, getting swept at home by the Catamounts absolutely incensed Matt Gilroy. Afterwards, the Terrier defenseman vented to assistant captain Brian Strait. “We were both really pissed off,” Strait recalls. “We knew we were a lot better than that, and the effort that we gave and the carelessness… It just wasn’t like us. I remember he stormed up to my room, fuming, right after the game on Saturday, and he said, ‘I can’t believe this. Coach is letting this happen: He didn’t yell enough.’
“And I was saying, ‘Calm down: It’s the beginning of the season.’ The next day we, the captains, went up to Coach and said, ‘It’s not going to happen again. We might lose another one—definitely we’re not losing two in a row—but we’re going to make sure that we’re not going to play like that again.’
“And Coach was kind of the same way [as me]: ‘Don’t worry about it; it’s the beginning of the season.’ And we said, ‘Look, we’re just making sure you know that that’s not going to happen again. It’s unacceptable, and if anything like that ever happens again, you have all the right in the world to blow up at us.’ But it didn’t ever happen again. We lost a couple of games. Those were our third and fourth losses, that early in the season, and the whole rest of the season we only lost two more.”
Yet the doldrums continued in the short term. Next up was a game against Atlantic Hockey rival Holy Cross. The coaches decided to bench Nick Bonino, who had cooled off dramatically after his torrid start. Taking away ice time by making a player a healthy scratch is often the m.o. to put the whole team on notice. After all, it’s sometimes impossible to bench every player who may deserve to sit.
“That not only gets Bonino’s attention, but it makes the rest of the boys say ‘He benched Bonino? Well, I could be benched pretty quickly, too,” Parker says. “Those types of things can help guys. It’s happened to a whole bunch of sophomores, forever. He got off to a great start. The puck was jumping in the net for him. Then he stopped scoring and started pressing, then he started thinking about scoring goals. When you’re playing hockey and you start worrying about scoring goals, you suck at every other aspect of the game, and then you never get the puck and you never score the goal. He went the route that many great players have gone.”
Parker refuted the notion that scratching a highly talented player is always his call; he told me that it could be any of the coaching staff making the case. “One of us would step up and say, ‘What are we accepting here?’ This kid is supposed to be a ten-beller, and we’re accepting eight bells from him. Our staff has the ability to say, ‘Don’t get fooled by this; don’t accept mediocrity.’ Nick was not trying to be mediocre. He was just out trying to do what he’s supposed to do for our team but going about it the wrong way, and he just didn’t get it until we had to sit him down and said, ‘That’s enough, Nick.’ Then he was pissed, but he realized, ‘It must be pretty bad if they’re benching me.’”
Playing without Bonino, BU went out against the Crusaders and emerged with their least inspiring victory of the whole season, a 3-2 decision that was in doubt till the final buzzer. After getting out to a 2-0 lead, the home team just about called it a night. For the first time all season, Parker reamed out his club between periods. “I remember it probably took the first 10 or 12 games before Coach came in the locker room and screamed at us to pick it up,” Jason Lawrence remembers. “Coach hadn’t come in and yelled us up to that point. So he yells at us, then he walks out, walks back in, and says, ‘I really haven’t had to yell at you guys for 12 games— that’s amazing. I’m sorry about this…”
Lawrence got called for slashing in the last minute, giving Holy Cross a better chance to tie the game. The senior would be benched for the subsequent game with St. Lawrence as a result, but fingers could be pointed at any number of culprits, afterward. “In general, with the exception of a few guys, it was a pathetic performance by my team,” Parker said at the press conference. “You’ve got to give Holy Cross credit for coming in and playing hard and saying ‘Holy Jesus! This is BU? We can play with these guys… We can more than play with these guys.’ And they did.”
Escaping with a narrow win over an Atlantic Hockey opponent with a record around .500 and a ton of freshmen and sophomores in the lineup, Parker expressed more doubt about his team than at any time previously or subsequently during the season. “I think we fell into a trap of thinking we were better than we were and now we’re in the trap of worrying about if we’re as good as we ever were or as good as we can be,” Parker said in the press conference.
“We’re so far away from where we were the first five or six game in terms of decision making and effort and skating. I thought Holy Cross looked quicker than we did.
“We’re at the point where we’re not sure if we’re any good at all.”
For his part, Matt Gilroy was mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Taking matters into his own hands, Gilroy managed to earn the wrath of his coach at the next practice. “He refused to practice hard,” Parker says. “It wasn’t anything verbal he was doing. He was coasting through drills, and I made him do one again. So he did it even slower. There were some words said on the ice but most of it was his body language, and I finally said, ‘Hey, screw.’”
Parker followed his co-captain into the locker room and gave him a tongue- lashing that harkened back to his earlier days of high-decibel coaching. “I got him out of his dressing room and into my dressing room, and I got in his face and said, ‘Who the hell do you think you are?!’ I thought this guy is too big for his britches.”
However, it’s revealing that Parker told me this story when I asked him to elaborate on something he said repeatedly later in the year—how Gilroy actually made him a better coach.
“He’s never ever admitted it, but I think he got himself thrown out of practice on purpose,” Parker says. “I think what he was telling me was ‘You should be doing this to everyone else; you’re too easy on these guys right now.’” In light of Gilroy’s complaint to Strait about Parker not getting mad enough with the team, it seems extremely likely that the altercation was a deliberate ploy on Gilroy’s part.
Copyright 2009 by Scott Weighart – All rights reserved
MAD MEN
While BU’s inability to adapt to Vermont’s neutral-zone trap frustrated Parker, getting swept at home by the Catamounts absolutely incensed Matt Gilroy. Afterwards, the Terrier defenseman vented to assistant captain Brian Strait. “We were both really pissed off,” Strait recalls. “We knew we were a lot better than that, and the effort that we gave and the carelessness… It just wasn’t like us. I remember he stormed up to my room, fuming, right after the game on Saturday, and he said, ‘I can’t believe this. Coach is letting this happen: He didn’t yell enough.’
“And I was saying, ‘Calm down: It’s the beginning of the season.’ The next day we, the captains, went up to Coach and said, ‘It’s not going to happen again. We might lose another one—definitely we’re not losing two in a row—but we’re going to make sure that we’re not going to play like that again.’
“And Coach was kind of the same way [as me]: ‘Don’t worry about it; it’s the beginning of the season.’ And we said, ‘Look, we’re just making sure you know that that’s not going to happen again. It’s unacceptable, and if anything like that ever happens again, you have all the right in the world to blow up at us.’ But it didn’t ever happen again. We lost a couple of games. Those were our third and fourth losses, that early in the season, and the whole rest of the season we only lost two more.”
Yet the doldrums continued in the short term. Next up was a game against Atlantic Hockey rival Holy Cross. The coaches decided to bench Nick Bonino, who had cooled off dramatically after his torrid start. Taking away ice time by making a player a healthy scratch is often the m.o. to put the whole team on notice. After all, it’s sometimes impossible to bench every player who may deserve to sit.
“That not only gets Bonino’s attention, but it makes the rest of the boys say ‘He benched Bonino? Well, I could be benched pretty quickly, too,” Parker says. “Those types of things can help guys. It’s happened to a whole bunch of sophomores, forever. He got off to a great start. The puck was jumping in the net for him. Then he stopped scoring and started pressing, then he started thinking about scoring goals. When you’re playing hockey and you start worrying about scoring goals, you suck at every other aspect of the game, and then you never get the puck and you never score the goal. He went the route that many great players have gone.”
Parker refuted the notion that scratching a highly talented player is always his call; he told me that it could be any of the coaching staff making the case. “One of us would step up and say, ‘What are we accepting here?’ This kid is supposed to be a ten-beller, and we’re accepting eight bells from him. Our staff has the ability to say, ‘Don’t get fooled by this; don’t accept mediocrity.’ Nick was not trying to be mediocre. He was just out trying to do what he’s supposed to do for our team but going about it the wrong way, and he just didn’t get it until we had to sit him down and said, ‘That’s enough, Nick.’ Then he was pissed, but he realized, ‘It must be pretty bad if they’re benching me.’”
Playing without Bonino, BU went out against the Crusaders and emerged with their least inspiring victory of the whole season, a 3-2 decision that was in doubt till the final buzzer. After getting out to a 2-0 lead, the home team just about called it a night. For the first time all season, Parker reamed out his club between periods. “I remember it probably took the first 10 or 12 games before Coach came in the locker room and screamed at us to pick it up,” Jason Lawrence remembers. “Coach hadn’t come in and yelled us up to that point. So he yells at us, then he walks out, walks back in, and says, ‘I really haven’t had to yell at you guys for 12 games— that’s amazing. I’m sorry about this…”
Lawrence got called for slashing in the last minute, giving Holy Cross a better chance to tie the game. The senior would be benched for the subsequent game with St. Lawrence as a result, but fingers could be pointed at any number of culprits, afterward. “In general, with the exception of a few guys, it was a pathetic performance by my team,” Parker said at the press conference. “You’ve got to give Holy Cross credit for coming in and playing hard and saying ‘Holy Jesus! This is BU? We can play with these guys… We can more than play with these guys.’ And they did.”
Escaping with a narrow win over an Atlantic Hockey opponent with a record around .500 and a ton of freshmen and sophomores in the lineup, Parker expressed more doubt about his team than at any time previously or subsequently during the season. “I think we fell into a trap of thinking we were better than we were and now we’re in the trap of worrying about if we’re as good as we ever were or as good as we can be,” Parker said in the press conference.
“We’re so far away from where we were the first five or six game in terms of decision making and effort and skating. I thought Holy Cross looked quicker than we did.
“We’re at the point where we’re not sure if we’re any good at all.”
For his part, Matt Gilroy was mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Taking matters into his own hands, Gilroy managed to earn the wrath of his coach at the next practice. “He refused to practice hard,” Parker says. “It wasn’t anything verbal he was doing. He was coasting through drills, and I made him do one again. So he did it even slower. There were some words said on the ice but most of it was his body language, and I finally said, ‘Hey, screw.’”
Parker followed his co-captain into the locker room and gave him a tongue- lashing that harkened back to his earlier days of high-decibel coaching. “I got him out of his dressing room and into my dressing room, and I got in his face and said, ‘Who the hell do you think you are?!’ I thought this guy is too big for his britches.”
However, it’s revealing that Parker told me this story when I asked him to elaborate on something he said repeatedly later in the year—how Gilroy actually made him a better coach.
“He’s never ever admitted it, but I think he got himself thrown out of practice on purpose,” Parker says. “I think what he was telling me was ‘You should be doing this to everyone else; you’re too easy on these guys right now.’” In light of Gilroy’s complaint to Strait about Parker not getting mad enough with the team, it seems extremely likely that the altercation was a deliberate ploy on Gilroy’s part.
Copyright 2009 by Scott Weighart – All rights reserved
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Terriers in USA Hockey National Team Development
Pat Aufiero
Brett Bennett
Colby Cohen
Rick DiPietro
Jason Lawrence
Justin Maiser
Brian McConnell
Freddy Meyer
Bryan Miller
Luke Popko
John Sabo
Vinny Saponari
Kevin Shattenkirk
Brian Strait
David Warsofsky
Ryan Whitney
Colin Wilson
Future
Adam Clendening (2010)
Matt Nieto (2010)
Alexx Privitera (2011)
Brett Bennett
Colby Cohen
Rick DiPietro
Jason Lawrence
Justin Maiser
Brian McConnell
Freddy Meyer
Bryan Miller
Luke Popko
John Sabo
Vinny Saponari
Kevin Shattenkirk
Brian Strait
David Warsofsky
Ryan Whitney
Colin Wilson
Future
Adam Clendening (2010)
Matt Nieto (2010)
Alexx Privitera (2011)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Baptism Of Fire
Despite being thumped, Team USA stays positive after opening USHL weekend
Paul Shaheen - Amateur Hockey Report Senior Writer
ROI - 'The stars of tomorrow..play here today.'
October 5, 2009
Getting outscored 15-6 in two games wasn't exactly what Team USA's Under 17's were looking for in their inaugural USHL weekend, but given the enormity of the task, ie: 20 wet behind the ears '93 born players getting their first taste of Tier I junior A action, one could hardly have been terribly surprised.
And yet in many ways, Team USA held its own in losing twice to Chicago in Bensenville, IL. The U-17's never backed away from physical challenges, and rarely, so it seemed, held their heads down in a defeatist way.
See our scouting notes on the weekend here (Game Report: US NTDP Select -17 v Chicago), and courtesy PointStreak, here are the two game summaries:
Game #1 Summary Game #2 Summary
"Well, we've looked better, but this is a big step up," said defenseman Alexx Privitera, the Old Tappan, New Jersey native who picked up a goal in Saturday night's 10-5 defeat. "Those guys (the Steel) are big and fast, and there's no time with the puck anymore. You get a split second, and that's it."
Under 17 head coach Ron Rolston knew only too well what his team was in for, yet found the proverbial positives in reading between the (scoring) lines.
"We knew it would be difficult," said Rolston, now in his sixth season with the US NTDP. "But it will be better for us in that (compared to season's past) we'll have cut our games down to 50 from 70. That will give us more development time, more weight room time, and more skills time in their first year."
And not unexpectedly, Rolston saw an immediate difference between where Team USA is playing now and where it had been.
"The speed and depth (in the USHL) is the biggest difference," Rolston added. "The NAHL is excellent, but there, each team had maybe one line that could really hurt you. Here, it's two or three. But it's all that we expected, it's professional, and if we want to develop elite players, we need to challenge them at an elite level."
While he admittedly has some adjusting to do, Privitera should be one of those players, if he isn't already. Having skated last year for the AAA New Jersey Avalanche U-16's, the 5-11, 175 pound Privitera sees playing in the USHL as an opportunity to truly test where he's at and how far he can go.
"You saw the game, we were getting blasted out there," said the right shooting Privitera. "It's a lot harder, but it's great. This is going to be good for us."
It surely will be, especially in lieu of Privitera's recent decision to skate for Boston University beginning in the fall of 2011.
"I made (unofficial) visits to Boston College, Harvard and Boston University. I liked them all, but I felt more comfortable with the BU coaches and I left there with a better impression."
Privitera didn't have Boston on the brain per se when it came to making a college choice, but he claims practicality played a role.
"I had visited Miami (of Ohio) last November and Wisconsin wanted me to come pay a visit as well, but if I have the situation I want that's only three hours away, I'd rather have that than have to fly three hours, you know?"
Rolston stands comfortable with Privitera's development so far.
"Defense is the hardest place to adjust," said Rolston. "Alexx has great offensive skills. What he needs to work on now is bringing a complete game to every game."
Team USA's next action comes next weekend in a two game set versus visiting Green Bay. The week after, Sioux City comes to Ann Arbor for a pair. The Under 17's will be playing the majority of Team USA's USHL matches this year, while the Under 18's will come in for a sprinkling of games throughout the year.
Below is our initial feature on Alexx Privitera from last November, as well as updated scouting
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